Not All Religions Require Worship in God

A fictitious analogy: 

Tubuku, a small remote island in the South Pacific has an active volcano on the island. This volcano has regular eruptions, but none yet have destroyed the inhabitants. The tribal elders have discovered long ago that they can use the predictable volcanic activity as a means to control the inhabitants by keeping them in submission all the while giving themselves a comfortable lifestyle.

The chief calls the inhabitants of the island together, saying: “Listen to your elders, they have something very important to tell us!” The storytellers come out in their ornate costumes with bizarre makeup and costly jewelry – each one of them dressed in apparel that peasants and commoners could only dream of earning enough in their lifetime to afford. They sing and dance and tell their stories of love and heartbreak. They tell of courage that even the greatest of their warriors are unworthy of – but they are mere stories. Nevertheless, the villagers weep and cheer and desire more of their stories. They throw their gold and precious stones to the storytellers so they can hear more stories of courage and love. The chief is proud of his storytellers and his elders and smiles in approval because they are the means of his own power and glory.

The wisest of the elders makes a proclamation: “Now listen, inhabitants! The fire god is jealous of us for using our own fires to cook with. You must immediately cease this practice or the fire god will bring down his wrath upon us and destroy us all! Only those who are worthy to be adorned with these precious costumes and our beloved storytellers may cook with fire.”

At that precise moment, the volcano belches out fire, smoke and lava as the villagers bow down and worship it. The elders raise their arms in acknowledgement of the impending peril of the inhabitants.

The villagers are distraught, but they know that the fire god must be appeased, so they throw all of their treasures at the feet of the chief, the tribal elders and the storytellers. But not all of them believe.

Those who question are bound and brought before the chief. “Most honorable chief” their spokesman cries, “without fire, we cannot enjoy our meals and it is unsafe to eat uncooked food.” The chief tells the spokesman, “my servant, be of good cheer because I have a solution. Our elders have developed a way that you can cook your food by using fire from the fire god. This pleases the fire god who will not take his vengeance out on us.”

The spokesman is relieved, believing that this solution will benefit the entire tribe. “What is it that you ask, my great chief?” The chief appears concerned and as he once was a storyteller himself, he can feign concern and compassion for his people. “The only thing I ask is that you give up more of your treasures so that we can harness the power that the great fire god has provided us.”

The spokesman’s countenance is fallen and he droops his head. “But we have given us all our precious treasures, what more yet can we give?” The chief explains, “this is a time of great sacrifice, so please understand. All citizens must bow before me and give freely of your lands and devote your labors to me and then we can invest your properties to appeasing the fire god.

The spokesman is puzzled and boldly questions the chief, “Why do the elders and storytellers not have to abide by the same decrees?” Why do you require so much for yourself?

The chief becomes furious, but dares not publicly censure the spokesman. He diplomatically declares, “it is necessary to make the storytellers and elders happy so that they can work to protect us from the anger of the fire god. As for me, no one else is worthy to be chief over this tribe.”

The spokesman is distraught, but knows no other way to negotiate with the chief. He abruptly returns to his home, vowing to find alternate solutions as he is skeptical of what the chief has to say.

Villagers mock the spokesman and those who question the tribal elders and storytellers. The unbelievers are scorned and are considered outcasts who are ignorant because they do not believe the chief, the tribal elders and the storytellers. They have no voice among the people anymore. The inhabitants ultimately sacrifice all that they own so they can be spared from the wrath of the jealous fire god.

The spokesman, though uncooperative, decides to concede and in his shame he throws himself into the volcano as a sacrifice for the fire god (this is the account from “official” sources anyway) and those who have supported him come to a consensus that they must also concede and follow the chief.

All the dwellers of the island are at peace and the chief and storytellers become wealthier while the elders “discover” a spring of hot water that the villagers can cook with and are rewarded for their discovery and they all live happily ever after because the fire god has chosen not to destroy them.

Be wary of your belief system. Not all religions require deity as those to bow down to and worship. We can worship a true God of miracles and deliverance, but there are many substitutes in our world of confusion.

Assumptions

I'm gonna put out a rant today. This deals with making assumptions and putting blame/responsibility where it rightfully belongs. First, let me preface this by stating that proper communication goes both ways. Oftentimes a superior or one with greater authority or advantage believes that it is fully the responsibility of the subordinate party to understand the message, even if that message was not delivered in a manner that the receiver could understand.

I've experienced numerous instances recently where there was a breakdown in communication because one party assumed that the other "should just know" the information. The excuse is always voiced something like: "We notified everybody." or "You've been here long enough, so you you should know better by now." or "There's no excuse for not knowing this." I guess it begs to question, whose responsibility is it then to ensure that the receiving party is informed? In the case of a teacher-student relationship, that responsibility falls squarely on the teacher. If your teaching methods were ineffective (and it is reflected in a significant portion of the students not knowing the information in question), then the teacher can't hold the student(s) responsible for that which was not taught properly. You can't assume that your student is just going to know the information. I have also had the unpleasant experience or heard about where students were tested on materials that either weren't adequately covered or there were several "gotcha" questions included in an attempt to ensure that nobody in the class gets a perfect grade. That is not teaching. That is sadistic.

When I use the term "teacher" this can be equally applied to any person in a teaching position (to include parents, mentors, trainers or anyone who teaches). This is not communication, but rather it is an attempt to elevate the "teacher" to a perpetual position of higher status than any student ever could be. Intelligent students can see right through this ruse though. This was a common method of teaching when austere educators were thought to be the ultimate authority, but in modern society, teachers are our peers. Effective teachers don't command respect though sadistic methods, but they earn respect through having genuine interest in the learning process of their pupils. This is especially true when students are paying money out of their own pockets for a quality education. In that respect, the teacher works for the student and if the teacher is apathetic in that sacred calling, it is shameful that students have wasted their valuable time and money attending that class. In the case where a person in a teaching position is abusive, demeaning or sadistic, this is actually counterintuitive to learning and it creates barriers and mental scarring that may take a long time to overcome - and in some cases, these learning blocks may last a lifetime. After nearly five decades, I still suffer from the effects of an abusive teacher I had in first grade. The message that her students received was entirely different than the subject matter at hand.

There are many other instances I have experienced lately that underscored the importance of effective communication - and how merely assuming that your receiving party got the message is not a good idea. When you wish to disseminate your message to a wide audience, you must use multiple methods of communication AND ensure that your receiving parties have received and understood the message. You can't leave fliers taped to doors with indefinite dates and times for an important event (like a parking lot closure due to construction), you can't (or shouldn't) expect all the tenants to move their vehicles for said construction. No, this is not effective communication. This isn't even communication at all. If you want the parking lot cleared, you need to clearly post signs and cordon off the area well in advance. You need to notify each and every tenant AND get an absolute response before you start towing off vehicles and expecting the tenants to pay the towing bill.

I also see how these assumptions can strain friendships, business partnerships and family relationships. For instance, when someone posts a general status update on social media and then expects everybody in their sphere of influence to be responsible for receiving said information. Sometimes the breakdown in communication may be technological, but in many cases there are people who either do not check their Facebook or Twitter pages very often or maybe they don't even have accounts. Some people have limited whose status updates they have on their newsfeed, so the posts are never seen by the intended recipients. It's not their fault they didn't get the memo.

So, how do we break down these communication barriers? How can we be effective teachers and communicators? The first and most important thing is to have genuine consideration for those whom you teach or wish to communicate with. In the corporate world, this could mean the difference between success and utter failure of your enterprise. If we treat our personal and professional relationships as though our livelihoods depended upon care and concern, then perhaps we are getting somewhere. Then and only then can we follow through to the next step - acknowledgement. I went to a communication seminar a few years ago and what the speaker had to say made perfect sense. He stressed that incomplete communication (where the receiving party has not provided acknowledgement or feedback indicating that the message was received), is where communication did not happen. Acknowledgment is more than a head nod or a one-word answer though. Complete communication requires that the receiving party restates the message. In a formal learning situation, that feedback may be in the form of a progress check or an ungraded (or minimally weighted) assignment. This is not only a tool for the student, but as a gauge for the teacher to understand where more emphasis needs to be placed and reveals weak areas in the curriculum.

May we ALL be effective communicators and never assume that the receiving party has heard and understood our message without acknowledgment and as listeners or learners we shouldn't assume that we always heard or read the message properly, especially when it doesn't seem to make sense. It may be necessary to beg for clarification. Communication is duplex - involving both parties being completely involved, both verbally and nonverbally.

Balance + Compensation

One lesson we can learn from the forces in the universe is balance. You might think of it as a Yin-Yang thing, but I believe it goes much deeper than that.

One of the things that came to me today when pondering the subject of balance and compensation is advice that comes from several different sources that I've gained much insight from. It is quite simple in theory, but it takes discipline combined with discernment to put into practice. In order to achieve extraordinary feats, success is dependent upon first eliminating your barriers. Some of our barriers are physical and tangible, but others are mental, spiritual or social. In the case where those barriers are inherent or impossible to eliminate, the next strategy is compensation. Compensation may come from within or we may have to rely on a "higher power" - either a mentor or from God. Each one of us is unique in our innate abilities, limitations, balance between our abilities and limitations and our means of compensation, and each of us relies on different methods of compensation or what some refer to as coping strategies. Whatever the case may be, since we are all different, what works for one person may or may not work for another person, so these are some things to keep in mind when trying to assist or give advice to someone else or in the case where someone is trying to help by offering advice.

Our balance between abilities and limitations is rarely (if ever) 50/50. The imbalance may be somewhere like 40/30 or 20/70 or something like that for example, and the compensation will therefore need to be 30% and 10% respectively.

If this is starting to seem incoherent rambling, let me explain a few details to clear up the murky waters.

Abilities come in the form of talents (that we've worked hard to develop), inherent gifts (that we were naturally born with), and principles that we either acquired through childhood development and/or mature decisions or through experience. These are the attributes that lead to success.

Limitations are the barriers that we either place upon ourselves or have been placed in our way by other people. This also the baggage that naturally weighs us down through negativity, traumatic experiences, lack of confidence or other intangible, yet absolutely real conditions. Other barriers include physical and mental handicaps that exist regardless of any attempts to eliminate them, though some of the effects may be reduced or canceled out through compensation.

Compensation is a deliberate or subconscious method used to fill in the gaps where your abilities run short. Compensation is often good, but is often ineffective. Sometimes compensation can be detrimental to our progression or may be harmful to others or to our relationships, depending on what types of compensation are used and what is at stake. Compensation has to come from somewhere, so it sometimes comes at a price that drains us of resources that we could have otherwise used toward developing our abilities or the compensation comes from an external source, relying upon others and weakening their reserves.

Eliminating barriers often requires the help of others or temporarily compensation from within, in order to have the strength, courage or knowledge necessary to develop positive attitudes and rewire our neural connections to permanently change behaviors. Think of it in terms of building a bridge. A bridge doesn't just appear out of nowhere. It starts with weaker and less efficient methods or workarounds until the permanent structure is complete and thus the barrier is eliminated.

So, what do we do once we've eliminated those barriers and become successful in our areas of weakness? One might think that we could or should rise above the rest of the populous to dominate. This is erroneous because then a negative attitude toward others (that of feeling superior or desiring to dominate) becomes a liability - a limitation, so to speak. I've witnessed what I call "intellectual implosion" happen with some people and with others I have seen how pride has been the downfall of others. Whatever the case, a person reaches a point where they feel they no longer need to improve or they no longer need God or they feel superior to others and treat those less fortunate as peasants or foolish. They forget that at some time in their lives (and even at present) they have needed compensation from external sources. At this point, a person can go one of two directions: 1) Be humbled and genuinely elevate others through efforts of compensation. Teach, mentor, financially sustain and actively help others because they know that we become stronger as a society when more people are successful. 2) The person can pursue dominance. Token donations to the poor are used as leverage, but otherwise this person fails to acknowledge where he/she came from and feels fully entitled to any and all riches, accolades and distinction - in other words: power.

What do we gain from this? First, we must understand that the world is unfair. People are going to abuse their positions of distinction and wealth. Some stars shine brighter than others - meaning that some people develop extraordinary abilities and use them for good (and should rightly be acknowledged for their strengths) and there are yet others who either hide their talents or waste their gifts or abuse them to do evil. Some people have riches who do not deserve them. Truly, that is their barrier that stands in the way of becoming a wonderful human being. Most of us are going to simply be average. There is nothing wrong with that, however there are ALWAYS ways in which each of us can break down those barriers or find compensation to liberate our extraordinary abilities. We can ALL improve and find ways to help elevate others. No man (or woman) is an island. We are all interdependent and no matter how far a person ascends up the ladder, there is always the risk of falling. When a person has abandoned those who have helped that him/her get to that position, nobody is going to be there to break their fall.

Regarding First Amendment Rights

I'm going to exercise my constitutional First Amendment rights and break silence for a bit because I believe that if we do not continue to exercise our constitutional rights, we will lose them.

We are at a crossroads where our rights are being threatened. There are those who belong to influential movements - outside our country as well as domestically - who do not share the same convictions and passion for defending our constitution and our freedoms the same way as patriots who have sworn with their lives in the defense of our country and constitution do and have done in years past.

For these special interest groups, rather than standing up for freedom of speech, religion, the press and the right to peaceably assemble (as well as other amendments contained in what is known as the Bill of Rights), it is more important for them to promote their own interests alone, disregarding the rights of others.

For lack of better terminology, we live in a hostile world. There are many things, too numerous to number, that are offensive, destructive, and even harmful. We need to delineate and distinguish between those that can cause us actual harm and those we simply deem offensive.

In order to preserve that which we hold dear to us: our sacred beliefs, our religions, the thoughts in our hearts and minds, that which we teach our children in our own homes and in our sacred sanctuaries... it is IMPERATIVE that we also tolerate that which we feel is offensive to us. If we cherish what we believe, we must also allow others to express their beliefs as well... and we must accept criticisms of our beliefs.

We are all going to be offended. That is a fact of life. I can't even take a drive down the street or visit a public place without finding something that is offensive to me in one way or other. I can't attend school or go shopping or turn on the TV or even go to church without finding something that offends me. To rise up and force others to bow to my whims because I find something offensive oversteps another's rights of free expression. To litigiously compel individuals and business owners to cater to my every desire because otherwise I would be offended is a violation of that person's constitutional rights - which violates not only the business owner's First Amendment rights, but could also trample on his or her Sixth Amendment rights as well.

We must be cautious of what "rights" we promote as our own because as we abuse the courts for our own purposes, we set precedence for that which we certainly will find offensive and even to the point of destroying the very constitution that we are using as our legal leverage... because the end result is censorship. Censorship is one of the first steps toward tyranny. When the government gets involved in managing our personal affairs, the less liberties we enjoy.

Tolerance is a two-way street. I do not agree with every decision that is enacted into law and some I find very offensive, but it would behoove me to at least tolerate and recognize those laws. Likewise, I would expect reciprocation on the part of others, who disagree with or would find offense in my particular beliefs as I exercise my constitutional rights. To only recognize one group's or one person's constitutional rights (as interpreted by members of the Supreme Court) but to impede or nullify another's rights is unbalanced and the end result will most certainly bring about unintended consequences - because in everything, there are natural laws of equilibrium. There can't NOT be a rebalancing of powers. Throughout history this results in uprising, rebellions and physical violence. We do NOT want this.

Those who truly believe in peace will work toward peaceful resolutions which require tolerance on ALL sides. Those who are religious must tolerate that which is considered to be the most vile and offensive while those who eschew religion or who have alternative or unconventional religious beliefs should also tolerate those beliefs - especially considering that the majority of citizens in our country adhere to a spiritual belief system. Those with differing beliefs must also tolerate not only what they deem offensive, but accept inconveniences that come about as a result of religious preference.

In the end, we must work toward unity or our methods of divisiveness will rip our nation apart. If we continue down this disturbing path, the end result will result in destruction and violence like we have never experienced before. We cannot achieve love through hatred.

One final thought: It is more important to Do right than to Be right.

The Term: "Narrative"

One of the current buzzwords that I find most disturbing is the word "narrative." In and of itself, it is an innocent word, but the way it is used so prevalently is that it is used interchangeably with the word "truth" - the idea that if you believe something strongly enough, it is therefore truth, is a very disturbing concept. Some might find it offensive, but truth is an absolute. Anything that is not within the bounds of that absolute is not truth. The truth IS binary. 

I must also add the disclaimer that we ALL lie and we are ALL hypocrites to one degree or other, but probably what matters most is what justification we use for as a basis for our deceptions - and what are our intentions or end goals? Sometimes, deception is used as a defense or weapon against evil and there are numerous examples of governments' use of deception to keep their country safe from enemies and there are even numerous examples of deception used for righteous purpose in the holy scriptures. But those are the extreme exceptions. 

Lying is so commonplace now that we don't know what is the truth anymore. Dishonesty has become so accepted in our society that it in some circles it is even considered honorable to lie... but even more of an honor to lie to the world is to lie to one's self. We have gone to the extent that our fantasies become "truths" and we wrap our lies, justifications, propagandas and belittling of those who disagree with us into a tidy package called our "narrative." 

It is a constant battle between media sources, with each end of the political or social spectrum calling each other liars. Who do we believe? What is truth anymore? It dawned on me yesterday as I was pondering the subject. The narrative has become the new "truth" and ALL major media sources that call their brand of media "news" are liars - ALL of them. Some of them lie knowingly and intentionally because they are elitists pushing a specific agenda and for them "the end justifies the means." Others, use speculative or unreliable reports as their sources and hope for the best. Sometimes it turns out to be true, sometimes not. Probably the vast majority of "news" outlets unintentionally, yet repeatedly report false information ignorantly. They don't understand the issues and are simply the messengers, disseminating whatever information gets transmitted to them without bothering to check the veracity of their feeds. News is a multi-billion-dollar media industry. What matters most in terms of their success (financially) is who reports the story first and/or who gets the most views. It's nothing more than sleazy competition, not unlike any other form of media or entertainment. The media in its many forms are extensions of political candidates and entities (to include political action committees - especially those entities) so the media is therefore a propaganda machine - but that is a whole other subject unto itself.  

So, the next time you hear the term "narrative" don't naturally assume it to be truth. It is merely personal opinion on steroids. Truth is truth - it is binary... it is absolute. Anything outside the bounds of truth amounts to nothing more than a lie.

Earth Day 2015

I've recycled when and where I could ever since I could remember and it's disheartening to see the effects of littering or misuse of resources resulting in unnecessary waste and adverse effects on our environment. Recycling is part of the solution, but the problems go much deeper than that and recycling is not always possible... of feasible... and many times when we think we are recycling, our efforts to sort and place "recyclables" into the proper receptacles are in vain because much of it ends up in landfills. But landfills are not the main problem. The problem is not properly managing waste or raw resources in the first place. Many of the atrocities we are acutely aware of are in third-world countries and serve as an example of how NOT to manage waste. When we outsource our manufacturing to countries that don't have adequate infrastructures for manufacturing and agriculture, the environment suffers, most especially in their communities.

Many of our problems can be managed at the consumer level. It goes beyond sorting out our recyclables and putting them into the proper receptacles. It starts with our purchasing decisions. 1) Purchase only items we need. 2) Don't make unnecessary trips in our motor vehicles or aircraft. Look for items that have minimal packaging, if possible. 3) Next, don't litter. I've seen people intentionally throwing trash out of the windows of their vehicles or just drop items on the ground or leave their trash behind in classrooms or whatever. There are people who want to save a few bucks in dumping fees who dump their trash, furniture, tires... even toxic waste, in vacant lots or in ditches along less-traveled roads. How could anyone with a conscience do this? 4) If you cut a tree down, plant another one... or two. Or just plant a tree or two regardless. 5) Be careful to avoid introducing non-native species, especially invasive species. Many are introduced accidentally by transport, agriculture or exotic pets and fish released into the wild. Some are intentionally introduced as a means to manage ecological problems, which further upset the natural balance. Florida is FULL of non-native species. Only buy or plant native plants for your yards. 6) Reuse items that would normally be thrown away. Trash bags are not a bad thing, if managed properly. We can use and reuse them over and over again and if possible, in the end recycle them. Many items that we see as trash can be reused or donated to charities and even if they are broken or don't work can often be recycled for scrap. It's hard work, but I've generated hundreds (possibly thousands) of dollars dismantling electronics and appliances for scrap metals. It put a few extra dollars in my pocket to pay for equipment that I couldn't afford otherwise. 7) Even if you didn't make the mess, clean it up anyway. Besides being involved in designated clean-up activities, we can do this every day, in every situation and in any location. It's really not a big deal to pick up a random piece of trash and dispose of it properly. Really.

In the United States and Canada, I think we've come a long way in managing our resources, but we could still do better with a few tweaks here and there. We ALL generate trash and consume resources. Awareness and education to learning how to minimize our impact and how to properly dispose of waste can make our communities better and cleaner. Yes, it takes a bit of effort, but if EVERYONE put forth a little more effort, the results could be astounding.

The Bullet - Part Two

            Timmy woke up to the sound of chirping, but it wasn’t that annoying killdeer.  His sense of smell returned with a sharp odor, but it wasn’t expended nitrocellulose; it was rubbing alcohol.  He turned toward the direction of the chirping and was captivated by the green illuminated line that peaked in sync with the chirping.  He felt a hand, but it wasn’t Mom’s - Dad!  He retracted as he turned to face him, but Dad gripped tighter and pulled Timmy closer.  Dad’s eyes were red and puffy. 

      Dad turned away and quietly spoke, “He’s waking up, go get the nurse, Sandy.”    When Timmy realized Dad was talking to Mom, he turned his gaze toward her.  She indulged for a moment, smiling through her tears at Timmy before she floated out of the room.

      “Mom is pretty, even when she is crying,” Timmy thought. 

      Breaking the silence, Dad spoke through sobs, “We… thought you weren’t… gonna make it.” 

      “I’m sorry I’ve been so harsh at times… I figured it was for your own good,” he continued. 

      Dad’s eyes locked with Timmy’s, “I love you, son.”  He gripped Timmy’s hand a little tighter, “forgive me?”

      Timmy nodded and felt tears welling in his own eyes and briskly blotted them with his bandaged arm.  It was like somebody else speaking as Timmy blurted, “I’m sorry I got into your drawer!”

      Dad’s face went pale.  Timmy felt Dad’s hand get clammy and he loosened his grip.  The wicker chair crackled and creaked under Dad’s full weight as he fell back into it and stared blankly at the medical instruments, wiping sweat from his mouth.  He realized Timmy had discovered his secrets. 

      Timmy fidgeted, hoping that Mom or a doctor or the nurse would step into the room to break the sickening tension that filled the air.  As Dad’s nostrils flared, Timmy had a sinking feeling, as though Dad were about to reach for his pocket knife… yet deep inside Timmy felt another emotion stirring - giddiness.

      Dad avoided eye contact, which made Timmy wonder what other secrets he was hiding.  As he contemplated treasures he had yet to discover, Timmy trembled like a dry alcoholic walking past the open door of a tavern; being blasted by an unanticipated waft of spirits.